parker



' 1,640,133 Aug. 23,1927. H. PARKER APPARTUS FOR HANDLING PULP TUBES. 0R THE LIKE Original Filed March 5. 1923 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 1,640,133 ll8- 23f 1927' H. PARKER APPARATUS FOR HANDLING PULP TUBES OR THE LIKE Original Filed March 5, 1923 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 H. PARKER APPARATUS FOR HANDLNG PULP TUBES OR THE LIKE Allg. 23,

.original FiledMarch s. 192s e sheets-sheet 5 N .faz I y --J/ AffA Ov l

.Z449 OO i O O o o '15e I/ y o o ai 7'/ .//v/ o ./06 y u xfa" gl GRM 1Q l ,640,1 33 H. PARKER APPARATUS FOR HANDLING PULP TUBES OR THE LIKE original Filed March s. 1923 e sheets-sheet 4 Aug. 23, 1927.

H. PARKER AEP-ARATUS FORIANDLING PULP TUBES 0Ry THE LIKE s sheets-snaai 5 Original Filed March 5, 1923 23 l 2 Aug 9 7 H. PARKER APPARATUS Ton HANDLING PULP TUBES 0R THE LIKE Original Filed March 5, 1923 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Patented .l-tug, E3, 1927,

HORVARD PARKER, OF BERLIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO BROWN COMPANY, OF

hhddddd sereni. certes,

PORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORATION OIF MAINE.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING PULP TUBES OR THE LIKE.

@riginal application filed March 3, 1923, Serial No. 622,61@ Divided and this application filed November 28, 1924. Serial No. 752,577.

ihii-s is a division of my application Serial No. 622,610, tiled March 2i, 1923, for method of and apparatus for handling and drying pulp tubes or the like.

In my said application, I have described and claimed an apparatus wherein the articles to be dried.` for instance pulp tubes, are automatically delivered to a suitable carrier, or carriers, by means of which they are carried through a dr ing chamber and, if desired, a sweating chamber; a current of dry air being suitably passed over the tubes so to absorb the moisture therefrom. rthe present invention relates, more particiiiiafirly, to the means for carrying or conveying the tubes, and has its object to provide means of this sort which is simple in construction and effective and reliable in operation.

in the accompanying drawings, wherein I have shown, for illustrative purposes, one

embodiment which the present invention may take;

7Figure 1 is a detail view of the complete conveying mechanism of the drierincludingl the carriers, the carrier drive mechanisms, and the charging` and discharging conveyors, the housing of the drier being omitted;

Fig 2 is a. side view showing the receiving ond of the carriers and the construction of the transfer conveyor employed for charginn` the carriers;

.i e' I-i is a side view of a portion of the ig end of the carriers; v

lfig. a detail view showing the manner in which the c-.irrier chains are supported Fig. 5 is a detail view of the forward end of one of Jthe drier carriers, with parts in section;

Fig. (S is a rear view of a .portion of the d' fiarge end of the drier mechanism and shows the means for driving the conveyor which receives the dried tubes from the drier carriers;

d Fig, T is a view, partly diagrammatic, showing the manner of associating the drive mechanisms at opposite ends ofthe drier carriers;

Vig. 8 is a detail, in transverse section, of the supporting `structure for the chain connecting the drive mechanisms;

Fig. 9 is a view of a clutch controlling` mechanism associated with the driving means for the receiving conveyor; and

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of a switch controlling the receiving conveyor at the discharge end of the drier.

As an instance of a usel to which the features ofthe present invention may be applied, reference may bel had to the British atent No. 229,712, dated August 21, 1923, and issued in the name of E. C. R. Marks. Said British patent discloses certain improvements made by me in machine for manufacturing tubes and other hollow bodies from pulp, and wherein is disclosed a tube forming machine for winding a wet web of pulp in successive convolutions onto a mandrel under pressure until a tube of predetermined thickness isbuilt up, a drier, and means for conveying the tubes from the forming machine to the drier. It is to'be be understood, however', that said patent is referred to by way of illustration only, it

being obvious that the various features of construction hereinafter described may be used in other combinations than that recited in said patent. i

So that the following` detailed description may be more readily understood, a brief statement will be here given as to the gen eral construction and operation of the apparatus. iVhen the improved apparatus herein described is employed in connection with a tube formingmachine, such as described in said British patent, the tubes may be automatically delivered from the tube forming machine, one by one, to a transfer conveyor A having a pair of spaced chains l() provided with devices or chucks 11 adapted to engage and hold the mandrels on which the tubes are formed. Each time a new tube is engaged with the transfer conveyor, the latter is moved ahead one step. At the discharge side of the conveyor, there is a drier having a housing (not shown) provided with a drying chamber preceded, if desired, by a sweating chamber. This drier has a plurality of stages one above the other, and each stage has a; horizontally disposed carrier B, each of which may comprise a pair of spaced, endless chains 13 carrying between them rollers 14. After a predetermined number of tubes have been delivered `to the transfer conveyor A, so that there is a tube in front of each stage of the drier, the mandrel holding devices 11 are Withdrawn and suitable shifting mechanisms, which may be in the form of pivoted arms C, are actuated for delivering the tubes simultaneously, one to each carrier. These carriers are intermittently actuated, being stepped forward automatically each time a tube is delivered thereto, and the rollers on which the tubes are supported are continuously rotated to keep the tubes in proper shape and to eX- pose all portions of the tube to the drying current. At the discharge ends of the drier carriers is a receiving conveyor D which receives tubes simultaneously, one from each carrier, and convevs them down to a suitable point. In the present insta-nce, I have shown the drier as having ten stages and, therefore, ten carriers, but it is to be understood that the number of stages will depend upon the requirements.

Referring now more in detail to the construction of the apparatus, and particularly to that of the carriers, a description of one of which will suffice as the various carriers are of the same construction, the chains 13 of each carrier-pass over sprockets 16 and 1G at the forward and rear ends, respectively, of the drier. The rollers `1st have gudgeons 17 which are journalled in members 18 formed integrally with the side plates ofthe chain links and having arms 19 extending in the direction of the chains. The arms 19 are adapted to engage with extensions 2O of the chain pins. The weight of each roller is thus spread out over a number of links of the carrier chains so that the tendency of the roller supports to tilt in either direction is overcome. The rollers of each carrier are kept rotating by a constantly moving chain 22 engaging a sprocket 23 on the gudgeon l? at one end of each roller. The chain 22, which travelsv parallel to the carrier chains, keeps constantly in motion those rollers which are on the upper side of the carrier. Such rotation of the rollers is of advantage in that the tubes are exposed to the action of the drying current as nearly as possible equally on all parts of their surfaces and, also, the more or less Vplastic `material of the wet tubes is prevented from being pressed outshaft 27.

of shape by its own weight. At the respective front and rear ends of the drier, each chain passes over sprockets '25 and 26. One of the latter sprockets 26 is keyed to a shaft 27. The shafts 27 are connected in pairs by means of connecting chains 28 passing` over sprockets 29, one such sprocket being keyed or otherwise fixed onto each Foi` each pair of shafts thus associated, there is provided an electric motor 30 (see Fig. 1) which transmits its powef.` through a suitable train of gearing 31, the

last gear of the train being fixed on the shaft 27. The object ofthis gearing is jto reduce the speed of the chains 22. It will be noted from Fig. 5 that. when in position suspended from the lower run of the chains 13, the rollers-111A are not rotated, since the chain is so spaced that it does not engage the sprockets 23.

ln practical use, the drier is of' considerable length and, therefore, the carrier chains 13 are supported in a suitable manner to prevent sagging. In the embodiment illustrated, there are provided rails Ll() upon which antifriction rollers l1, carried by the chains, ride when in their tube supporting position and, on their return, each chain rests on a supporting channel f4.2 (see Fig. f1).

The carrier chains 13 may be driven by a drive nn-ichauisn'i which applies force at only one end of the drier or, as in the einbodii'nent illustrated here, the force may be applied at both ends. The latter is considered more desirable since one drive mechauism will drive the top runs of the carriers, and the other drive mechanism will drive the bottom runs, and the driving force will he distributed. All of these carriers are driven by entirely similar mechanisms and a description of one is illustrative of all. The drive at the charging end ofI the drier is shown in detail in Fig. 2, and the drive at the discharge end of the drier is shown in detail in Fig. 3. Referring first to the drivingv mechanism shown in Fig. 2, there is provided a rack which is driven peri,- odically to rotate a pinion 51 on a shaft 52 upon which the sprocket 1G is also mounted. It is seen that all the pinions 51 are engaged by the rack 5() and operate simultaneously upon the upward motion of the rack to inove the carrier chains forward. 1n order to prevent the carrier chains from being moved in the reverse direction on the down stroke of the rack, each pinion 51 is provided with a ratchet wheel 58 which engages with a pawl 54. This reversing tendency in the chains 13 is also arevented by a brake which comprises 'a drum 55 rigidly fastened to the supporting framework of the driving mechanism, an internal drum 56 within, and a plurality of balls or rollers 57 which, upon any reversing tendency in the shaft 52 and the drum 56 which is keyed thereto, are adapted. to be wedged between the cylindrical surface of the inner drum 56 and wedged shaped projections 58 on the internal surface of the drum 55.

The rack 50 is actuated alternately up and down by a pitman 61, which is connected its upper end to a large gear 62 associated with the source of power. As the gear (i2 rotates, it actuates the rack 50 to move the carrier chains 13 forward a distance equal to the center to center distance between the rollers 14, thereby advancing Een) llC

two more rollers to position to receive a tube.

For the purpose of supplying tubes to the drier, as, tor instance, from the tube form ing machine, a transfer mechanism of suitable kind may be employed. This transfer mechanism may include the conveyor comprising the pair ot chains l() provided with pairs oli alined mandrel holding chucks ll spaced at intervals equal to the distance between the drier carriers above described. The transfer conveyor moves upwardly past the supply point at which it receives the tubes one by one 'from the tube forming machine, torinstance, then horizontally at the top, and then downwardly over a pulley 65 in lront of the drier carriers and then about a pulley G6 back yto the supply point. In Figs. l and 2, the discharge side of theconveyor, that is to say, the vertical run thereof in iront oli the drier, is illustrated. Each pair oi chucks is adapted, as described in the above-n'ientioned British patent, to be auto matically engaged with mandrels (upon which tubes have been formed) at the supply point and then the conveyor is moved ahead one step to bring another set of chucks into position to be engaged with the next mandrel delivered to the supplyY point. As

snming that such a number of tubes havey been delivered to the transfer conveyor andv the conveyor has been stepped ahead each timea tube is engaged therewith, that there are nine tubes on the discharge run of the conveyor, one tube in front of each of the first nine stages, when the next tube is engaged with the conveyor and the conveyor moving ahead so ,as to bring a tube linl front of each ot the ten stages, the shifting arms C are moved back under the descending tubes where they have a period of rest. ritter the conveyor has completed its movements, the chucks l1 are automatically withdrawn so as to disengage the mandrels which are now resting` on the shifting arms. The shitting arms are then thrown forward so as to deliver the tubes thereon to the respective carriers. The transfer conveyor continues its operation of picking' Aup the mandi-els one by one from the supply point until there are nine more tubes in front of the drier, when the series of operations just I steps forward of `the transfer conveyor andv this switch closes the circuit et a solenoid 8O controlling the rotation ot the gear 62. As shown in Fig. 2, the solenoid 8O is provided with a bell crank 81 which normally supports or latches in position a bar 82. The purpose olf this bar is to maintain a dog SB outof engagement with a ratchet provided in a clutch S4. Vhen the solenoid 8() is energized, as before described, it releases the bar82, permitting the dog 83 to engage the clutch 8e and thereupon power is transmitted through the reduction gearing 85, 86, to the gear 62 which is thereupon actuated to move the rack 50. The gear G2 then rotates counL terclockwise, somewhat less than 1800, until the crank pin S8 is positioned horizontally witlrrespect to the shalt 89 upon which the gear 62 is journalled. At this position, the bar 82 is actuated by means of rollers 90 whichstrike against an extension 91 of the bar 82 to raise the dog 83, thereby releasing the clutch 84.

During this partial rotation of the gear 62, the rack is first lowered turning the pinions or gears .5l clockwise without actuating the carrier mechanism, and then the rack is .raised during which time the drier carriers are moved forwardly a portion oi: a step and the arms C are. thrown back into position beneath the now descending tubes carried by the transfer conveyor'. rlhe drive mechanism including the gear 62 now remains momentarily at rest until the descending tubes are brought into position on the arms and the chucks ll are withdrawn. nis the arms C more backwardly to this position, one .of such arms carries back with it a switch 93 (Fig. l.) by means ot an arm 94C keyed to one of the shafts 'Tl supporting they shifting arms This witch 93 is positioned at one side oi one oif the transfer conveyor' chains l0 and is actuated by contact with a chuck` head l1 `descending thereon. Switch 93 is adapted to close a circuit includinga solenoid'l which, as described in the above-mentioned Britishv Patent No. 712, operates to engage a clutch (not shown) which is located in the train of gears (not shown) operating the chuck releasing mechanism (not shown). '.l'liereupon, all the chucks llA in ifront oiE the carriers B are revolution. As the` gear is thus rotated, the Y rack `is raised causing each ot the drier carriers to complete its step motion, and also moving the shitting arms `C forwardly so that' the tubes carried thereby will roll down the same outotherollers of the drier iii? illlil carriers which are brought into receiving position when the arms have been moved to their forward delivering position. When the gear 62 has completed its revolution, the bar 82 is again engaged by one of the rollers 90 to disengage the clutch 84. Two rollers 90 are mounted upon each of a pail` of small gears 98 which are in turn supported upon the shaft 89. The gears 98 are actuated by a stationary pinion 99 so that upon rotation of the gear 62 the gears 98 also rotate, giving the rollers 90 a. planetary motion of their own. There are two such sets of rollers 90 with similar actuating mechanism, and they are placed somewhat less than 180O apart. As theypass by the extension 91 of the bar 82, they are adapted to strike thereagainst to stop the motion of the gear 62 by disengaging the clutch 64. Subsequently, upon energization of the solenoid 80, the clutch 84 is again engaged causing the gear 62 to rotate and return the pitman to its position,as shown inv Fig. 2.

As has been above described. there are t-wo rollers 90 on each gear 98. The purpose of having two rollers 90 is to provide a means for varying the distance the carriers are advanced. The Igear ratio between the gears 98 and the pinion 99 is such that these rollers 90 will alternately contact against the extension 91 of the bar 82 so that if one of the rollers 90 be removed from eacli gear 98, the remaining rollers 90 will strike against the extension 91 only upon the alternate revolutions of the gear 62. In such case, the rack is reciprocated twice instead of once, as before described, and the conveyor is moved forward two steps. As a general proposition, this is desirable in case the tubes delivered to the conveyor are of a diameter greater than the center to center dista-nce between the rollers 14.

At the discharging end of the drier, the driving mechanism is substantially the same as at the charging end described, except that the shaft 52 carriesa sprocket 105 which is associated with the main driving shaft 106 by means of a chain 107, and a sprocket 108 on the shaft 106. Shaft 106 is driven in precisely the same manner as the shaft 52, there being provided a rack 50, pinion 51, and the brake previously described. The sprocket 108 is `so constructed that its periphery may be rotated with respect to the shaft 106, there being provided dogs 109 carried by an internal section 110 rigidly attached to the shaft 106, and teeth on the internal edge of the outer section of the sprocket for engagement with dogs 109. In the internal section 110,l there are provided circular apertures 111 into which may be inserted a round tool (not shown) with teeth to engage the teeth on the internal surface of the exterior portion of vthe sprocket. Vhen this tool is inserted into the aperture 111 and rotated in a counterclockwise direction, the exterior portion of the sprocket is rotated with respect to the inner section 110 to take up the slack in the chain 107. This arrangement provides means for angularly adjusting the sprocket 16 relative to the corresponding sprocket 16 at the other end of the drier so that the teeth of both of these sprockets will properly mesh with the chains 13 and each will assume its'proportionate share of its driving duty. Thus, the driving force applied to the chains 13 is equally distributed to the driving mechanisms at the opposite ends of the drier.

Slack in the carrier chains 13, due to wear or stretching, may be taken up by means of a bolt 114 provided witha nut 115 and attached at the other end to the bearing of the vshaft 52 (Fig. By tightening or loosening the nut 115the bearing may be moved forward and backward to tighten or loosen the chain, as desired.

The power to operate the gears 62 and 62', which through the respective pitmen 61 and 61 reciprocate the racks 50 and 50, is supplied from a pulley 116 through a chain or belt 117 to a sprocket or pulley 118 mounted'on the shaft 119. There are two sprockets provided on shaft 119. One of these sprockets is connected by a chain 120 to a sprocket 121 mounted on the same shaft as the clutch 84. Th-e other sprocket is cong nected by means of a chain 122 to a sprocket 123 on a shaft 124. Another sprocket 125 of the same size as sprocket 123 is mounted onshaft 124 and is associated by means of a chain 126 with a sprocket 127 of equal size mounted on shaft 128 at the discharge end of the drier. A second sprocket 129 on shaft 128 connects 'by means of a chain 130 Awith a sprocket .131 mounted on the shaft with the clutch 84. Thus the power from the pulley 116 is transmitted equally to the clutches 84 and 84 and thereby tor operate the pitmen 61 and 61. There are provided suitable adjustable idler sprockets 132, by means of which slackness in the chain 126 mav be taken up and adjusted.

The chain 126 is necessarily of great length since it extends from end to end of the drier chamber and, therefore, that portion of the chain which is under tension is kept immersed in a bath of oil contained in a trough 133 (Fig. 8), to reduce friction and wear in the pins and bearings of the chain. There is yalso provided in the trough 133 a guide comprising a pair of vertically spaced blocks '134 vand 135, block 135 being supported on the floor of the trough, and block 134, which is the upper of the two, being bolted to a supporting member 137. The chain 126, which is preferably of the roller type, is held between the kmembers 134 and 135 by its side plates, while the rollers roll with practically vno friction between the lll) weones the parts therewithin is borne by suitable structural members such as an sbeam 138. The upper side oi chain 126 is supported by idler sprockets 39 spaced at suitable intervals.

There is thus provided a complete physical connection between the two drive mechanisms at the opposite ends oi? the drier and, therefore, neither' mechanism can advance over the other and produce an undue burden on the `oil meuhanism. This arrangement also insures a complete synchronism oli the whole system. The solenoids 8O and 80', which control the clutches 84 and 811 to rotate the gears 62 and 69X, respectively, are accordingly controlled by the same electri cal circuit. Therefore, they operate simultaneously yand start and stop the drive at substantially the same instant.

livlhen a tube has reached a position between the last two rollers on the upper side oi? a carrier B, the next step forward of the carrier will drop the tube into a discharge conveyor D having curved arms 149, one pair of such arms being' normally positioned be- Atore such carrier. The ten tubes delivered. from their respective carriers are thus dropped into these receiving' arms 149 simulta neously and, at the same time, a mechanism is set in motion to lower these arms, delivering' the tubes carried thereby into a suitable receptacle (not shown) below. The arms 149 are mounted on chains 150 which pass over guiding' sprockets 151 above `and similar sprockets 152 below. The chains 150 also 'pass over large sprockets 158` by which the receivine' arms 149 are moved-in a continuous path into receiving position Vbefore the carriers and inverted as they are brought back on the opposite side. The sprockets 158 (Finn 6) are mounted on a shaft 1511 which is also provided with another sprocket 155 connected by a chain 156 with a sprocket 157 mounted on a shaftt 158. The power to drive this discharging conveyor D is provided by the same source which drives the crank gear 62 and is applied through a. clutch connected with a power driven shaft 160 through suitable sprockets 161 and 162, and a chain 163. A pinion 165 is loosely journalled on a sha'lit 166 upon which the sprocket 161 and the fixed portion 167 of the clutch are mounted. This pinion, with the clutch engaged., is adapted to drive the gear 170 and the sprocket 157 rotatable-therewith, and in 'consequence the main driving sprockets 153 for the discharging conveyor chains 150. The clutch lor this mechanism is shown in detail in Fig. 9 and comprises the portion 167 fixed to the shaft 166, a disk 171 integral with the pinion 165 and normally rotatable on ,the shatt- 166.` and controlling; disk 172 which is adap '*idto hold the clutch engaged for the intein/si it? that Haired the chains Til-18 to be stepped iorwarda distance sutiicient to discharge all of the receiving arms 149. The clutch (Fig. 9).is controlled by a pivoted Jforked member 173 having' forwardly eXtending arms 17 et and 175. Engagement between the fir; d portion 167 and the disk 171 `is made by a dog 176 which is adapted to move in a direction radial of the disk 171., in a. slot 177 in the disk. lThe den' is substantially rectangular in cross section and extends inwardly and unser the tiXed portion 167 so that nponits movement fadially.outward it may slide into posit-ion in rectangular notches 178 provided iin the edge oit the fixed member 167 adjacent thedisk 171. llt vwill be seen that upon the-insertion ot the dog 17 6` in any one et" the notches 178. the two members 167 and 171 are keyed together and, in such case, the power from the shaft 160 is transmitted to the receiver arm carrying` chains 150 through the gearing and chains above described. The radial movement of the dogl 176 is controlled by a bell crank which has a short arm 179 engaging" the dog 176 in a notch 180 thereof; and a relatively long arm 181 which extends slightly beyond the periphery o't the disk 171 so as to be enmie'eable by'the arm 1741. A sector of the disk 1.71 is cutaway at 182 to provide room for the roi ation of the bell crank, and, more particularly,- its varm 181. Beneath the don' 176' there is mounted a spiral spring which normally presses the dog` upwardly. Thus, when released, the arm 181 of the bellcrank tends to move to position against the edge of the sector 182.

A solenoid 185 is provided to lift the pivotedmember 17 8 so that its arm 171 disengages from the arm 181 permitting, the clutch to take hold and transmit the desired power. The solenoid 185 is operated upon the closine` of its circuit by a switch controlled by the rotation ot the gear 62. This switch, which is shown in detail in Fig'. 10, comprises a commutator 186 having; three electrically conductive bars 187 spaced from each other by the body of the commutator which is prei erably of al hard insulating materialf The commutator 186 is rotatably mounted on a bracket 188 and is rotated rby means of a star wheel 189 having` six arms, each alternate arm corresponding to a segment 187. Two bars 190 are pivotally mounted on the lio bracket 188 and are pressed against the comm u i i, f, ..4

by 'urther retain? or the' star wheel turned by a second pin 195 on the gear 62. Thus the solenoid 185 remains energized for a short period of time allowing the mechanism time to get under way before leaving it entirely to its own automatic stop device. This energization of the solenoid is only momentary and therefore additional means is provided to keep the pivoted member 173 elevated so that upon rotation of the disk 171 the arm 181 will not be tripped by the arm 174 until all ten of the receiver arms 149 have deposited their tubes, as above described. This means for maintaining the pivoted member 173 in elevated position ineludes the disk 172 and the arm 175.

On the shaft 154 which supports the sprocket 153, there is lifted a smaller .sprocket 198 which is connected by a chain 199 with a sprocket 200 loosely journalled on the shaft 166. The sprocket 290 is formed integrally with the disk 172. It will be seen, therefore, that upon movement of the arms 149 with the chains 150, the disk 172 is rotated by means of the sprockets 200 and 198 in such a manner that the bent arm 175 is held up to keep the clutch disengaged. Reengagement of the clutch cannot take place until the disk 172 has rotated a complete turn to permit the arm 175 to fall into the notch 178 whereupon the arm 174 can again engage the arm 181 to release the clutch mechanism. The rotation of the disk 172 is accordingly timed by proportioning the sprockets 200 and 198 so that there is one revolution of the disk 172 upon ten steps forward of the arms 149.

The operation of the drive mechanism is as follows: Then the transfer conveyor chains 10 have advanced nine and a fraction steps so that a tube carried by one of the chucks is'approaching a position in front of the lower-most carrier B, the solenoids 80.`and 80 located at the opposite ends, respectively, of the drier, operate and engage the clutches 84 and 84 to start the gears 62 and 62 to rotate. Thereupon, by means of the pitmen 61 and 61, the racks 50 andv 50 are reciprocated and upon the upstroke, the pinions 51, 51 are rotated thereby in a countei'clockwise direction. yBy means of the connectingrods or links 73, the shifting arms C are caused to tilt baclnvardly under the approaching tubes. This causes the receivingI ends 70 of the shift-ing arms C toassume the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, vbeneath the tubes. The chains 13 are simultaneously advanced carrying the rollshifting arms C, at which point the entire mechanism stops momentarily. Also, the switch 93 has moved forward with the shifting arms C so that the head of one ol the chucks 11 rests thereon closing` the switch contacts to complete the circuit of the sole-- noid 95' which operates to close the clutch connecting a suitable source of power with the chuck disengaging n'iecl'ianis'im. lVith the tubes thus disengaged, the solenoids 8O and 80 again operate, engagii'ig the clutches 84 and again starting the rotation of the gears 62 and 62, whereupon the racks 50 and 50 cause the chains 18 to advance the rollers 14 to position to receive tubes therebetween, and additionally the shifting arms C are caused to move forward until they tilt slightly, whereupon the tubes roll from the receiving ends 7() into position between the rollers 14. At the discharge end of the drier, the circuit of the solenoid 185 has, meanwhile, been completed, raising the forked member 17 3 and engaging the clutch associated therewith. Power is then transmitted to the pinion 165 through this clutch to rotate the gear or sprocket 155 causing the chains 150 to carry downwardly the tubes discharged into the curved arms 149, depositing themeither on the tloor or in a suitable receptacle.

Thus, by the above construction, are accomplished, among others, the objects hereinbefore referred to.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely differing embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a liniiting sense.

It is to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an apparatus of the character dcscribed, a carrier having a pair oif endless chains, pairs oilI alined members each carried by one link of a chain and having cxtensions overlying a number of links of the chain, and rollers journalled in said members.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, a pair of spaced endless chains, article 'sulinporting members carried by said chains, sprockets at the opposite ends of said carrier over which said chains pass, means for driving the sprockets at each end of said carrier, and means for angularly adjusting the sprockets at one end relative to those at the other end, and including a pair of rotatable members one positioned about the other, and means -tor locking the members in any position ot adjuslnlcnt. i

5. ln combination, a drier, a carrier within the drie and ha ving; transversely extendi ingr supporting; rollers,` meaus'to deliver articles singly to between the rollers ot the cari" rr, a drive mechanism driven in timed. relation to sai/ delivery means to advance said carrier intermittently upon delivery ol auch articles to the car iemand a control meclnmism to vary the distance saidcarrier is advanced at each suchfdelivery.

fl. lu combinatiim, a'carrier, meansto deliver artclcs sinn-jiji" to the rarrier, a drive mccl'ianism including a rotary member to advance said. carrier intermittently upon delivery of an 'articletberetd and a control mechanism to vary the number ot advances made by the carrier at each dry oit'articles thereto., said control mccliauisrn coniprising a clutch and means interposed between said clutch and said rotary member to engage and disengage said clutch'.

5. lin con1binati m,a carrier, means to deliver articles singly tothe carrier, a drive mechanism includingl afrotary member to advance said carrier intermittently upon delivery ot" an `article thereto, and a control mechanism to vary the number ot advances made by the carrier at each delivery ot articles thereto, said control mechanism comprising a clutch, a controlling lever for' said clutch, and members rotatal'ilc 'with said rotan-y meniber to actuate said lever, certain ot the last said `rotatal'ile members being ren'iovablc.

G. ln an apparatus oi the character de- 'cribed, an endless carrier. a drive mechanism at eaehend et said carrier, la continuously driven chain connect-ingr said driving` mech'- rnismsq and automatically operated means associated uith'each mechanism and operable in unison `tor ce;meeting` and disconnect iup' said drive mechanisms with said chain.`

7. ln an apparatus of the character described, a carrier comprising pair ot chains and transversely extending rollers supported thereby, a pair ot reciprocating arms at the forni: :'n end et the carrier adapted to move away vfrom the carrier to receive an article and then advance towards the carrier to deliver an article thereto, said arms having roller supportingl portions down which the articles roll by gravity when the arms are in delivery position, and means lfor intermittently driving the carrier and operating said arms.

t?. ln an apparatus 01n the character described, a carrier, a pair of shifting arms at the toi-ward cud ot' said carrier, means tor moving the carrier forward a portion of a step and simultaneously moving the arms baclmvardly, and then completing the step movement of theV carrier andinovingthe arms forwardly.

9. ln an apparatus oll the 'character described, a plurality of suptnposed endless carriers, a driving sprocket at the end ot' cach carrier, means :for driving,` said sprockets,means tor independently and an kojalarly adjusting; one ot the driving sprockets ot each carrier, and means for driving.;` said sprockets in unison.

l0. ln an `apparatus ot the character described, a plurality ot superposed endless carriers and a. drive me( ani-'nn commen to said cz? 'riers, and including apinion associated with eacl'i carrier, a rechi common to saidpinions, and i'i'ieans tor .reciprocating the rack.

ll. ln an apparatus of the character described, a plurali. y ot superposed endless carriers, and a drive mechanism common to all of said carriers and includin-ji` a pinion each carrier, a ratchetand pawl connec tion between each carrr and its pinion., a rack con'in'ion to said pinious, and means for i.utermittently reciprocating` said rack.

l2. ln an aijiparatus ot the character described, a plurality-oit sugerposed carriers, a. drive mechanism at'each end oll and common to all of said carriers, and means tor operatiireA both ot said drivingl mechanisms in synchronisui.

13. ln an apparatus ot the character described, a drying chamber, aplurality of superposed endless carriers therein, a drive mechanisn'i at each end ot said carriers, controlling means -tor said driving mechanism operable in unison, and a chain connecting;` said `drive lneclmnism.f`

14.. ln an apparatus ofthe character described, a plurality ot' singerposed carriers, means in front of each carrier tor deliver* ing articlesy thereto, and means for simultaneously actuating said means.

l5. ln an apparatus ot the character described, a plurality of superposed carriers, a shifting' arm mounted for reciprocation in trout ot each carrier and adapted to deliver articles thereto, means simultaneously operating),` said shifting arms, and means for moving` said carriers intermittently.

16. In an apparatus ot the character described` a shitting arm mounted for reciprocation in front ot each carrier and adapted to deliver articles thereto, and means to operate said shittingv arms simultaneously and to advance said carriers a step, said means including;` a pinion for each carrier and its associated shitting' arm, and a power driven rack common to all of said pinions.

17. In an apparatus of the character' described, a plurality oit superposed carriers, a drive mechanism to step said carriers ton wardly, and means in trout oit each carrier and operable in unison to deliver tubes simultanenielsT yone to each athen lll() ifi-c driving means therefor, means at the receive ing ends of the carriers for simultaneously delivering articles one to each carrier, means at the discharge end of the carriers for simultaneously receiving articles one from each carrier, and a system of control for allof said. means.

20. In an apparatus of the character `described, a plurality of superposed carriers, means for intermittently driving the same, a conveyor having a vertical run disposed at the discharge ends of said carriers and adapted to simultaneously receive tubes one from each carrier, and means for intermittently driving said conveyor.y

21. In an apparatus of the character described` a plurality of superposed carriers, drive mechanism for said carriers, and means controlled by said drive mechanism for simultaneously receiving articles one from each carrier. v

22. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, a plurality of superposed carriers, drivevmechanism for said carriers, and a discharge conveyor controlled by said drive mechanism and adapted to simultaneously receive articles one from each carrier.

23. In an apparatus of the character described, a plurality of superposed carriers, means for intermittently driving the same, a conveyor having a vertical run disposed at the. discharge ends of said carriers and adapted to simultaneously receive tubes one from each carrier, and means for intermittently driving` said conveyor, said last menscribed, a plurality of superposed carriers,

means for intermittently driving the same in unison, a conveyor having a vertical run disposed at the discharge ends of said carriers and adapted to simultaneously receive articles one from each carrier, means for intermittently driving said conveyor each time tubes are delivered thereto, and a system of control through which said driving means for said carriers control said driving means for said conveyor.

25. In an apparatus of the character described, a plurality of superposed carriers, a drive mechanism therefor, a receiving conveyor at the discharge end of said carriers and adapted to receive articles therefrom, an electro-magnetically operated clutch associated with said conveyor for driving the same, and an electric switch operable by said. drive mechanism and controlling said clutch.

26. In an apparatus of thev character described, a plurality of superposed carriers, a drive mechanism for said carriers including an intermittently rotatable member, an endless conveyor disposed at the discharge end of said carriers and adapted to receive articles simultaneously one from each carrier, an electro-magnetically operated clutch associated with said conveyor for driving the same, and an electric switch operable by said drive mechanism to control said clutch, said intermittently rotatable member having means thereon for actuating said svvitch to energize the magnetically operated member, and other means on said intermittently rotatable member for actuating the switch to break the. circuit through the magnetically operated member.

HOWARD PARKER. 

